Elements of Art Line

Shape

Form

Space

Value

Color

Texture

Types of Lines

Line Line is the path of a moving point through space. Mark on a surface usually created by a pencil, pen, crayon, marker or paintbrush. Thick or thin, continuous or broken, vary in direction or color

Straight, curvy, wavy, jagged, zigzag

Types of Line:

Vertical Lines Horizontal Line Parallel Lines or or or Diagonal Line

Contour Lines: outline of an object

Gesture: to capture the movement of a person, animal, or object.

Actual Lines VS. Implied Lines

*Actual Lines VS. Implied Lines: Actual

lines are lines you can see, while implied

lines are not real, but suggests the

placement of other lines.

Actual Lines

Implied Lines

A Shape is a two dimensional area with length and width.

Types of Shapes: circle, square, rectangle, oval, triangle, organic.

Geometric – shapes are precise, mathematical shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles.

Organic – shapes that are irregular, no form, and often found in nature.

A Form is an object that has three dimensions: height, width, and length.

Types of Forms: sphere, cylinder, cube, cone, pyramid, organic.

Used in sculptures and three dimensional pieces or art.

Actual Form VS Simulated Form

An Actual Form is a real object or sculpture that has length, height, and width.

A Simulated Form is the illusion of a three dimensional object on a two dimensional surface.

Actual Form = 3D VS Simulated Form = picture of a 3D form, object, or sculpture

VS

Actual Form Simulated Form

Space refers to the area above, below,

between, within, and around an object.

Positive Space: the space being used by an object.

Negative Space: the space not being used by object – empty space or background.

Overlapping: the placement of one object over another.

S P

A C

E

Layers of Space

Foreground: part of the artwork closest to the viewer.

Background: part of the artwork that appears furthest away.

Middle Ground: the part of the artwork between the foreground and background.

Foreground:

Flower Beds

Background: Sky

and Distant trees

Middleground:

House and the

Man

A technique that makes the use of line to create the illusion of depth on a two dimensional surface.

Depth gives the illusion of space and distance on a two dimensional plane.

Horizon Line: the line

where the sky and ground

meet.

Vanishing Point: were all

lines meet or converge on

the horizon line

Kinds of Linear Perspective

Linear Perspective

One-Point Perspective

(one single vanishing point)

VS

Two-Point Perspective

(includes two vanishing points)

Atmospheric Perspective is a technique to create the illusion of air and

space in an artwork.

Atmospheric Perspective

Faraway

objects and air

consist of

muted colors

and more

white

Close-up

objects are

bright and

consist of

darker

colors.

the degree of lightness or darkness of a color

Shading: a gradual change from dark to light.

The closer the dots, parallel lines, and cross-hatching the darker the value, the

further away the lighter the value.

Blending

Stippling

Hatching

Cross Hatching

Different SHADING TECHNIQUES:

• Blending: gradual change in value

• Stippling: a pattern of dots.

• Hatching: thin parallel lines

• Cross-Hatching: lines that cross one

another

Contrast is a difference in light and dark values

low-contrast

artwork has

very little

difference in

value change.

high-contrast

artwork has the

darks very black

and the lights are

very white.

high-

contrast

color

artwork has

rich vivid

colors.

low-

contrast

color

artwork

has

muted

dull

color.

Color is the visual quality of the object caused by the

amount of light absorbed or reflects. Also known as hue.

Color is used to show emotion or moods.

There are only 12 colors on the color wheel; however

artist will create more colors by adding light and dark

values.

*Tints are made by adding white to a color.

*Shades are made by adding black to a color.

Intensity: the brightness or dullness of a color or hue

Primary Colors: purest

color which all other colors

are mixed - RED, BLUE, and

YELLOW

Secondary Colors: created

by mixing two primary colors

together – ORANGE, GREEN,

and PURPLE

R + Y = O R + B = P

B+Y = G

Intermediate Colors:

created when mixing one

primary color with a

secondary color closet to it

on the color wheel – RED-

ORANGE, YELLOW-

ORANGE, YELLOW-GREEN,

BLUE-GREEN, BLUE-PURPLE,

and RED-PURPLE

Color Families Warm Colors – RED, YELOW, and

ORANGE – sense of happiness, sunny, or cheerfulness

Cool Colors – BLUE, PURPLE, and GREEN – sense of calmness or loneness

INNER By Leonid Afremov

The Old Guitarist, 1903 by Pablo Picasso Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers

Color Schemes Monochromatic: color scheme

which uses different values of one color or hue

Analogous: color scheme based on colors that are beside one another on the color wheel. They share a common hue like YELLOW-GREEN, GREEN, and BLUE-GREEN

Complementary Colors: color scheme which uses colors across from each other on the color wheel – YELLOW and PURPLE, BLUE and ORANGE, RED and GREEN

Neutral Colors: colors include black, white, brown, and shades of gray

the way an object feels to the touch, or the way it looks.

Rough, Smooth, Bumpy, Shiny, Dull

Albrecht Dürer, The Young Hare, 1502, Albertina,

Vienna

Meret Oppenheim, fur-covered cup, saucer, and

spoon, 1936 (Modern)

Tactile Texture (actual texture):

the way a surface feels to the

touch.

Visual Texture:

the way a surface looks like it

would feel.